This section is intended to introduce various aspects of the art, which may be associated with exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. This discussion is believed to assist in providing a framework to facilitate a better understanding of particular aspects of the present invention. Accordingly, it should be understood that this section should be read in this light, and not necessarily as admissions of prior art.
The exchange of information may be used to manage the operations. By way of example, several real-time data systems or methods have been proposed in hydrocarbon exploration, hydrocarbon development, and/or hydrocarbon production operations. To exchange information, the devices may communicate with physical connections or wireless connections. As a first example, a physical or hard-wired connection, such as a cable, an electrical conductor or a fiber optic cable, is secured to a tubular member, which may be used to evaluate subsurface conditions. The cable may be secured to an inner portion of the tubular member, such as a conduit, or an outer portion of the tubular member. The cable provides a hard wire connection to provide real-time transmission of data. Further, the cables may be used to provide high data transmission rates and the delivery of electrical power directly to downhole sensors. However, use of physical cables may be difficult as the cables have to be unspooled and attached to the tubular member sections disposed within a wellbore. Accordingly, the tubular members being installed into the well may not be rotated because of the attached cables, which may be broken through such installations. This limitation may be problematic for installations into horizontal wells, which typically involve rotating the tubular members. Further, the cables have to be attached and passages have to be provided to pass the cables through the wellbore, the well head and other equipment (e.g., openings for the cables). These passages for the cables provide potential locations for leakage of fluids, which may be more problematic for configurations that involve high pressures fluids. In addition, the leakage of down-hole fluids may increase the risk of cement seal failures.
In contrast to the physical connection configuration, various wireless technologies may be used for downhole communications and reporting sensing measurements or the state of various subsurface tools or structures. Such technologies are referred to as wireless telemetry. The use of radio transmission may also be impractical or unavailable in certain environments or during certain operations. Acoustic telemetry utilizes an acoustic wireless network to wirelessly transmit an acoustic signal, such as a vibration, via a tone transmission medium. In general, a given tone transmission medium may only permit communication within a certain frequency range; and, in some systems, this frequency range may be relatively small. Such systems may be referred to herein as spectrum-constrained systems. An example of a spectrum-constrained system is a well, such as a hydrocarbon well, that includes a plurality of communication nodes spaced-apart along a length thereof.
Under certain circumstances, it may be desirable to transmit data, in the form of acoustic signals, within such a spectrum-constrained environment. However, conventional data transmission mechanisms often cannot be effectively utilized. For example, the methods of acoustically communicating may utilize an acoustic wireless network including various communication nodes spaced-apart along a length of a tone transmission medium. These communication nodes may exchange signals with each other to manage the exchange of data within the wellbore and with a computer system that is utilized to manage the hydrocarbon operations.
Accordingly, there remains a need in the industry for methods and systems that are more efficient and may lessen problems associated with noisy and ineffective communication. Further, a need remains for efficient approaches to perform acoustic communications along tubular members. The present techniques provide methods and systems that overcome one or more of the deficiencies discussed above.